TOS Crew Review: Aleks

If you are a frequent visitor of my review blog-then you may have just done a double take after reading the title. It is no mistake though...I actually was asked to post a little ditty on the new improvements that have been made to Aleks' program. Before going any further on with this updated review, I strongly encourage you to read the original post, and then come back here to continue on. That way, you will have a pretty good idea about what Aleks provides, and I can avoid rehashing what I have already stated in the first review.

I am going to highlight some of the new features first, since they are rather exciting. Immediately upon signing in, I noticed the Announcement section touting the recent additions. I was also happy to see all the necessary links, clearly labeled, so that I can navigate the site with ease.



For starters, in our home, we have several visual/tactile learners, meaning we need to put pen to paper to work through math problems we're covering. So having extra worksheets available is an excellent way to meet this need. There are two different ways to accomplish this-the first is by clicking the "worksheet" button found in the top info bar on their page. The system will then generate problems based on what my child has been working on in worksheet form, then all that is left is to print it. Another option is found within the QuickTables section. This "math fact mastery" program is quite interesting and fun. The student can work on their speed and accuracy for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. After navigating through the fun activities, they can view their progress, and I can create a worksheet to further their knowledge. Like the main math program my child is working on, I can also adjust and change the material to provide extra work on their mastery skills. I really am impressed with this addition to their program.



The new quiz feature is a much needed improvement with Aleks. For those, like me, who like to occasionally quiz their students, there is now that option. I can simply create one based on the material my student has been working on-it is that easy. If it appears that there is a need to provide another one (to be sure they are understanding the concepts), I can remake a modified version which retests those very same concepts-just with different problems. These can also be used to help issue grades for their work, as well. And of course, it can be printed for their records-which is always a nice feature.



Lastly, they offer the attendance record sheet now too. I personally, do not have to carefully monitor the amount of days we do school (thankfully); but I know many who do because of their state's laws. So if you are using Aleks for your child's math program, you will only have to merely click the print button to have a full report for your records. It is nice to know that is being recorded for me, in case I would want to have that in my child's school file, as well.



Overall, the new improvements are wonderful. I really appreciate their great customer service at Aleks, they are quick to respond and very helpful with any issues I had. I also like that they take the suggestions from customers to heart, by trying to implement those ideas for improvement; which will further improve this less traditional, but rather progressive way to do math (and chemistry).

They also have a Homeschoolers Resource section, with lots of additional information to make your experience more beneficial.

The best way to see all that Aleks has to offer, is to head over to their web page. You can view the mini-tutorial videos which explain some of the new features, and how Aleks works. Just look for the green button with the arrow in it, right by the log-in section to take a tour. Your time there will be well spent.





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Aleks Homepage
$19.95 per month/per student, $99.95 for 6 months or $179.95 for 12 months...but they offer a Family Discount Plan when you sign up your students at the same time. This is a complete math program, so you can give your student full credit for completing a course. Or they can earn college credit for the courses meeting criteria for the ACE program. So the price is really quite reasonable, when compared to other math programs and college fees.


(just click this icon for info)

Intrigued? Well, why not give it a test drive? If you are a homeschooling family and NEW (sorry, if you have tried them out before, you do not qualify for this offer) to Aleks...you can get one month free (when going through the website, you only receive 48 hours free)-so, by Jove, go for it!

Don't forget to check out what my TOS Mates have to say about this and other great homeschool products on our TOS Review Homepage

**Aleks provided us with a Two-month free subscription to Aleks' On Line Math Program in order to test and use it with my family, so I could write this review.

ohh, an award!

My friend, Michelle at A Life Better than I Deserve gave me this cool Sisterhood Award! How lovely!

Now, I normally only put my reviews on this blog-but since I want to highlight some of my TOS mates (past and present) along with some other great gals, I think this one is just perfect for this award.


The rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!
3. Be sure to link your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link the person from whom you received your award.

My nominees are:

ABCMomof3 at Learning by Living (2008-09 TOS Mate)

Debbie at Debbie's Digest (2009-10 TOS Mate and one of my Outward Bound Team members)

Michelle at Delightful Learning (2009-10 TOS Mate)

Michele at My Blessings From Above (2009-10 TOS Mate)

Sara at The Homeschool Project (2009-10 TOS Mate and one of my Outward Bound Team members)

Hillary at Our Homeschool Studio (2009-10 TOS Mate and one of my Outward Bound Team members)

April at Once Upon a Qpon (2009-10 TOS Mate and a one of my Outward Bound Team members)

and some fantastic blogging gals I enjoy following:

Bronwyn at Loving My Life as a Mother and Wife

Leslie at Joyful Mother of 6

The Road Less Traveled at Learning Thru Lapbooks


Please take a moment and visit all these great blogs-you will be blessed, as I can say I have been by their wisdom, humor, kindness and wonderful blogging abilities.

TOS Crew Review: Grapevine Studies- Stick Figuring Through the Bible-Biblical Feasts and Holy Days

In our home, I have a huge gap in ages with my two remaining students. My daughter is on the cusp of turning 15, making her a Sophomore in high school this year; and my son-who just turned 8, is entering the second grade. Their skill levels are vastly different-actually, they are on opposite ends of the Grand Canyon! So, how am I to get the same information across in a manner that isn't too complex for my son, nor overly watered down for my teen-and not lose my marbles in the process?

When you are blessed with a family of mixed ages, it soon becomes apparent that you have basically two choices in how you will teach the various subjects to your pupils. You can go the route of covering the material of many subjects, several times a day, to each individual child-which makes for a long day. Or you can combine the subjects which ooze multi-level teaching possibilities, in order to eliminate the redundancy found in the first choice. Thankfully, Bible study is one of the most pliable subjects to cover, regarding such needs. Stick Figuring Through the Bible: Grapevine Studies Series offers up a selection of courses which address this very situation.



Because we have been working through the Old Testament in recent months, we chose the Biblical Feasts and Holy Days, a 13 week course. A few things instantly attracted me to this particular study; such as it is designed to address children ages 7 and up (and adults too), that it doesn't require too much teacher prep, and it utilizes stick figure drawing to help cement the learned concepts. And you read that correctly-stick figure drawings. I highly suspect that author realized anyone (even the most artistically challenged individual) can sketch a one dimensional stick picture, in order to reap the benefits by doing so. I have seen the fruit of using various curricula that emphasizes tapping into all of the learning styles, and this one is no exception. Especially the unique use of such visual aides, to help cement the main concept of the lesson.

After spending some time looking up the verses to be discussed, and making notes when need be-I was able to commence the lesson with ease. My daughter can be rather resistant when it comes to trying new approaches, but this series meshed with her quite nicely; even to the point to where she inquired about the other programs they offered. SOLD! She liked how the study was laid out in a manner that did not linger upon a subject so long, that you lost interest and quickly zoned out-doing only what must be done to "get it over with". I agree with her on that-I like that it provides just enough coverage to give you an decent overview, yet doesn't bog you down with laborious questions or fill-in the blank worksheets. Those products only manage to kill any enthusiasm you may have had at the beginning of the study-not stir up interest. The shorter units are just perfect for families like mine-who become bored from lamenting over one area for an entire year. The Stick Figure Through the Bible approach is quite ingenious too. It gives the student a visual reminder to the story line, while not being too difficult to draw. My daughter (our artist) started morphing the pictures into actual drawings, but regardless-she remembered the content. Which was the point in the first place.



Even though this study is tailored to children 7 and up, I decided to hold off on this with my 8 year old. He was required to listen in whilst playing nearby, and to partake in the discussion, if he felt he has something to say or ask...but he is "on vacation" [his words] so we held off on having him do the workbook. I will save that, and come back to it after another time. I know that by listening in now, he will come to recognize these stories when we go over them again-so all is good.

The Grapevine Studies series is definitely a keeper in this house. I am impressed with the clever way to teach such an important subject, in a manner which is easy and not too tedious; while leaving the responsibility of addressing the specifics of our particular denomination [with the version of the Bible we prefer] to us.








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Grapevine Studies Home Page
$19.95 for Teacher book, $14.95 for Student Workbook (consumable)
Also available as an eBook download (Teacher: $12.95-with choice for group as well), Student: $14.95-with choice for family, group or class)




SALE ALERT!! SALE ALERT!!
My readers can get a 30% DISCOUNT, off their purchase.
Use the code: crews when prompted for a discount/coupon code.
Offer expires Sept. 15, 2009.

Be sure to visit the TOS Store as well-they sell many of the Grapevine Studies products too!

Wondering what my fellow mates have to say about this and other fine homeschooling products? Visit our TOS Crew Review Homepage for more insight!

**Grapevine Studies provided us with a free copy of The Grapevine Studies-Stick Figuring Through the Bible-Biblical Feasts and Holidays TE/Student Wkbks in order to test and use it with my family, so I could write this review.

TOS Crew Review: Quarter Mile Math Deluxe (Level 1, 2 and 3) Bundle

I am always on the hunt for a high quality CD Rom games for my children to use, particularly those that address the subject of math. When we first learned that we would be receiving the Quarter Mile Math program to review, I made a bee line to the site, in order to take a look see. I have heard, over the years, about this particular company and it always was the same-awesome. I am not so sure what took me so long to investigate them-but none the less, we decided to download the free demo to try it out. My son was immediately taken with the graphics, and most especially-the RACE CARS! Have I ever mentioned that all of the males in this home are car fanatics? The engine parts that find themselves upon my counters on occasion, the garage packed with all things cars-including cars, and the engine parts stuffed in the back closet? Yes, well these definitely are a dead give away about this obsession. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that anything car related, or anything that makes revving sounds, and has the capability to speed (in real life or in virtual reality) simply ignites the spark plugs of my son's mind! I didn't even have to give it 5 minutes to see this was a keeper. So, whilst we waited for the box to arrive-he practiced on the demo and enjoyed it every time.




Then the big day arrived...we anxiously opened the package-WOW! We received the Deluxe Version, contains all three levels (grades K-9, but even the aged-minds in our home can use some practice, and stimuli regarding such skills-so I say it can even meet the needs of math needy adults). This is truly the Cadillac of their product line-cleverly designed to sport a few extra nuggets of coolness, which the Standard versions do not have. This model provides online tracking so you can view the practiced topics detailing such things as: the overall tally of the number of races completed, tracking of correct answers, and their continued progress in those areas. What's more, Quarter Mile Math has a few different subscription plans to meet the needs of of most homeschooling families. Oh, and it is a very affordable alternative to spency math tutors, or CD games with limited capabilities.

We haven't even scratched the surface of this humongous program. My son has, up to now, had limited computer time-so he is at the bottom of the skills level at this point. Mostly, we are working on hand placement for finding the numbers and letters on the keyboard. He is able to work through the simple addition/subtraction races-but it is slow going-mainly due to his need to improve his speed in calculating the answers (this will improve greatly by using the Quarter Mile Math game) and finding the correct number keys.

I really appreciate the ability to review, and print my son's progress with the Deluxe program. I need that visual to track his skill level throughout the year; and so that I can be sure to schedule extra time to work with the Quarter Mile Math, when organizing and filling his workboxes each day. For those who are required to maintain a paper trail, in accordance with their state laws, this is a wonderful feature. I am excited to see how he improves and progresses through this awesome math skills program, over time. We are quite pleased with this new addition to our math curriculum~it is a keeper for sure.



Now, I know you are very curious to learn if I played around with The Deluxe Quarter Mile Math program, and how I did. Frankly, my son seemed to be having such a great time, that I was quickly drawn into the hoopla of this program! At first, I decided to try my hand with the horses. Gracious, I was like a bumbling fool the first few attempts. I panicked and couldn't remember what 2 + 2 equaled. I was so embarrassed, but not for long-after getting the hang of it, I was blowing the competition away (you race 5 other opponents)...in the end, I decided that the race cars best suited me. I found the clopping of the horses distracted me for some reason; when the car noises did not. I guess I can always turn off the volume when I want to return to the horses-especially since I am partial to those lovely creatures, and would like to see my filly succeed. For good measure, I have decided to get on once a week to sharpen my skills, and refresh my memory on the basics (like 2+2), so I am in good mental condition to start up another year of educating the chitlins.





and for younger children who may need additional assistance

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Their Website provides a wealth of information, and so it is best to spend some time going through all their pages to learn more about this fabulous program. Here are just a few I have highlighted, to get you started.

Overview Information

Features

Product Info

Barnum Software provides several different product packages to meet the needs of most homeschooling families. Prices range from $39.95 to $89.95 (depending on which CD version you choose), and the Deluxe version that is a subscription based product. You should have no problem finding one that best suits your budget. They have just changed their subscription fees for the Deluxe version, and these are so affordable!

For the Quarter Mile Math Deluxe Bundle: You choose the subscription fee of:
--- $2.95 per family per month
--- $19.95 per family for one year (save $15.45 over one year) and
--- $34.95 per family for two years (save $35.85 over two years).

Quarter Mile is offering a discount for my readers!
Get $5 off any product (Standard or Deluxe)until September 30, 2009. Simply type the code-7R7T7-in the "Referral Code" section of the order form.

Don't forget to check out TOS's store, as they sell the Quarter Mile Math series as well.

And if you need more info on this awesome product, or many others; be sure to visit our TOS Review Crew Homepage for more info.

**Quarter Mile Math provided me with the free 3 year subscription and CD version copy of The Quarter Mile Math Deluxe Series, in order to test and use it with my family, so I could write this review.